]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/10/07/lily-bergamo-suda51s-ps4-debut-trademarked-in-north-america/feed/0Dragon’s Dogma Quest x Puzzle & Dragons to be unveiled at TGS this weekhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/09/18/dragons-dogma-quest-x-puzzle-dragons-to-be-unveiled-at-tgs-this-week/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/09/18/dragons-dogma-quest-x-puzzle-dragons-to-be-unveiled-at-tgs-this-week/#commentsWed, 18 Sep 2013 10:22:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=409174Capcom has confirmed that Dragon’s Dogma director Hideki Itsuno will unveil his new title at Tokyo Games Show this week. It’s a collaboration with Puzzle & Dragons developer GungHo Online Entertainment.

As published by Gematsu, Capcom’s TGS live stream will kick off September 21 and the schedule is as follows:

Puzzle & Dragons has 17 million registered users, but GungHo noted that sales declined in July, and it expects to finish the month with a total of $138 million. That works out at $4.5 million per day, and suggests interest may be dying off a little when compared to the previous quarter.

Puzzle & Dragons will be released in Europe later this year, and a 3DS version is expected.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/07/30/gungho-sales-grew-945-in-first-half-of-2013/feed/0Ragnarok Odyssey Ace heading to Europe and North Americahttp://www.vg247.com/2013/05/24/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-heading-to-europe-and-north-america/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/24/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-heading-to-europe-and-north-america/#commentsFri, 24 May 2013 05:00:21 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=370407GungHo Online Entertainment announced that it will be publishing Ragnarok Oddyssey Ace in Europe for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The game will be out this winter in Europe and in the US, published by Xseed.

The game is an ultimate version of the previously released Ragnarok Odyssey. It will offer new content as well as a skill system that allows better gameplay customisation, more weapon upgrade paramaters and aesthetic upgrades and a new area that creates random dungeons of endless variation for players to battle through.

It will also feature cross-platform play between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita with an online connection.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/24/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-heading-to-europe-and-north-america/feed/1GungHo president feels Japanese developers “need to go back to basics”http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/18/gungho-president-feels-japanese-developers-need-to-go-back-to-basics/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/18/gungho-president-feels-japanese-developers-need-to-go-back-to-basics/#commentsSat, 18 May 2013 18:08:40 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=368288GungHo Online Entertainment president Kazuki Morishita feels Japanese developers “need to go back to basics” and remember why they “make games in the first place.”

“Let’s say that Japanese games are in their darkest times right now, there’s no way to go but up, if that’s the case,” he said. “In terms of making games, I think Japanese developers need to go back to basics about why they make games in the first place, which is to make good games. At GungHo, that’s what we do.

“We think about games and come up with good ideas and do our best to make it as best as possible, and all we’ll do is keep doing that. Sooner or later, that’ll pay off.

“We also take on outsourcing as well, and awhile back we worked on a Nintendo title, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Which as you know sold 10 million worldwide, and it was a big hit. When we were able to work with Nintendo, that’s when we realized what Nintendo does best is make good games as well, and that’s something we’d like to do as well, with GungHo’s titles.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/18/gungho-president-feels-japanese-developers-need-to-go-back-to-basics/feed/12GungHo financials: ¥12 billion made in April alone, Puzzle & Dragons earns $3.75 million a dayhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/05/13/gungho-financials-%c2%a512-billion-made-in-april-alone-puzzle-dragons-earns-3-75-million-a-day/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/13/gungho-financials-%c2%a512-billion-made-in-april-alone-puzzle-dragons-earns-3-75-million-a-day/#commentsMon, 13 May 2013 14:52:20 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=366078GungHo Entertainment is making some serious bank, according to its most recent financial report. One game in particular – iOS hit Puzzle & Dragons – is currently earning the firm $3.75 million a day.

GI.biz reports that the company has seen incredible growth over the past year. It made ¥12 billion in April 2013 alone, ($118m/£76m) which equates to a 1,142% increase on April 2012.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2013 the company’s revenue jumped 800% year-on-year to ¥30.9 billion, while its operating income leapt 7,400% to ¥18.6 billion.

Puzzle & Dragons has proven to be the company’s biggest win, and now sits at 13 million players in Japan alone, earning the company $113 million in April alone, which equates to over $3.75 million a day.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/13/gungho-financials-%c2%a512-billion-made-in-april-alone-puzzle-dragons-earns-3-75-million-a-day/feed/0MIND≒0 coming to Vita in Augusthttp://www.vg247.com/2013/04/10/mind%e2%89%920-coming-to-vita-in-august/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/10/mind%e2%89%920-coming-to-vita-in-august/#commentsWed, 10 Apr 2013 00:57:31 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=356768Dungeon crawler MIND≒0 (said “Mind Zero”, looking at the Japanese) is headed to Vita on August 1. Siliconera reports the RPG is a collaboration between Class of Heroes developer ZeroDiv and Acquire. Although it’s only been confirmed for Japanese release, it’s notable because it’s the first Acquire game to release since the Way of the Samurai and Sumiomi developer was snapped up by GungHo last year. GungHo also recently picked up Grasshopper Manufacture because it has about a gazillion bucks.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/10/mind%e2%89%920-coming-to-vita-in-august/feed/2GungHo – six PSOne import classics hitting PSN this springhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/04/09/gungho-six-psone-import-classics-hitting-psn-this-spring/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/09/gungho-six-psone-import-classics-hitting-psn-this-spring/#commentsTue, 09 Apr 2013 13:27:28 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=356518GungHo Online Entertainment America will be releasing six Japanese PSOne import classics this spring, starting with three titles which hit today: Evergreen Avenue, Favorite Dear -Jyunpaku no Yogensha, and Zero Kara no Mahjong -Mahjong Youchien Tamago-gumi. On May 7, board/card games Motto Trump Shiyouyo, Zero Kara no Shogi -Shogi Youchien Ayumi-gumi, and Zero Kara no Mahjong -Mahjong Youchien Tamago-gumi 2 will arrive on the service. Each will run you $5.99. Hit up the PS Blog for more information on each.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/09/gungho-six-psone-import-classics-hitting-psn-this-spring/feed/2Ragnarok Odyssey Ace headed to PS3, Vita in Japanhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-headed-to-ps3-vita-in-japan/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-headed-to-ps3-vita-in-japan/#commentsWed, 03 Apr 2013 01:12:23 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=354601Ragnarok Odyssey is being remade for PlayStation 3 and Vita with new story content and all DLC. Gematsu reports the new version is a ‘complete reworking’, will release in Japan in July, and is called Ragnarok Odyssey Ace to differentiate it from the-Vita exclusive original. The action RPG came west late last year; no word on a localisation for this re-release as yet.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-headed-to-ps3-vita-in-japan/feed/6Grasshopper acquisition means “complete creative freedom”, Suda51 confirmshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/04/02/grasshopper-acquisition-means-complete-creative-freedom-suda51-confirms/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/02/grasshopper-acquisition-means-complete-creative-freedom-suda51-confirms/#commentsTue, 02 Apr 2013 10:54:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=354296Grasshopper Manufacture founder Goichi Suda has confirmed that the studio’s recent acquisition by GungHo Entertainment will not restrict the developer’s creative freedom at all, in fact he now has complete creative freedom.

Speaking with Polygon, Suda said of the GungHo purchase, “This is a good thing because now I can focus more on the creative side. GungHo is providing me with complete creative freedom. I’ve worked with multiple publishers in the past, but I don’t think there are many presidents out there who will provide such freedom to their development team.

“Now I can focus even more than I could in the past, so I think this will be a good thing for Grasshopper.”

GungHo president Kazuki Morishita also revealed that the company chose Suda’s two riskiest projects as his next two releases under the acquisition, and added, “The world that Suda has in his mind is something we can’t create at GungHo, so it’s about having something we don’t and working with that world.”

Last week Suda teased three images of his next project, that smell a lot like No More Heroes 3, or a spin-off starring Shinobu. Check them out here.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/02/grasshopper-acquisition-means-complete-creative-freedom-suda51-confirms/feed/1Puzzle & Dragons brings in $2 million every day – reporthttp://www.vg247.com/2013/02/20/puzzle-dragons-brings-in-2-million-every-day-report/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/20/puzzle-dragons-brings-in-2-million-every-day-report/#commentsWed, 20 Feb 2013 03:09:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=341753A single mobile game is believed to be generating incredible sales figures in Japan.

According to analyst Serkan Toto, drawing on GungHo’s latest financial report, the company made ¥8 billion ($92 million) in sales in January 2013.

Various factors suggest Puzzle & Dragons makes up the vast majority of this figure, with estimates putting the single game’s contribution as high as ¥7 billion ($75.5 million).

Gamasutra interprets the figures to suggest that the game is bringing in up to $2 million in micro-transaction sales per day – and is only climbing.

Puzzle & Dragons is a match three game which recently released in the west. It’s unusual for a Japanese mobile game in that it is a stand-alone app, unattached to platforms like Mobage and GREE. You can get in on Google Play or the App Store; it’s free-to-play.

GungHo found something to spend its money on recently – Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw developer Grasshopper Manufacture.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/20/puzzle-dragons-brings-in-2-million-every-day-report/feed/2Grasshopper team “to continue to make games in the manner they are accustomed to”http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/11/grasshopper-team-to-continue-to-make-games-in-the-manner-they-are-accustomed-to/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/11/grasshopper-team-to-continue-to-make-games-in-the-manner-they-are-accustomed-to/#commentsMon, 11 Feb 2013 01:52:34 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=338685Publisher interference is not on the cards as part of GungHo’s acquisition of Grasshopper Manufacture, both companies have said.

“I’d like Suda-san to remain focussed on Grasshopper rather than GungHo as a whole,” GungHo president Kazuki Morishita told 4Gamer, as translated by EDGE.

“Of course now I’ll be involved in Grasshopper’s creative output, but since Suda-san is there, in a lot of ways it actually equates to taking a load off my own work. Basically, I’d like Grasshopper Manufacture to continue to make games in the manner they are accustomed to.”

Grasshopper founder and lead Goichi Suda said the acquisition will free him from some unwanted responsibilities.

“While we were deciding our next project, I was too absorbed in the management side of business to really focus on the creative. Morishita-san said ‘isn’t that my job?’, and it put me back on the right path,” he said.

Suda also commented that although he’s learned a lot from dealing with publishers as an independent developer and thinks the back-and-forth results in better games, he found it “difficult to truly grasp the creative reigns of a project” while doing so.

“I believe as a developer, to stay in this kind of environment is stifling. We really want to go all out in the future, and I think it’s necessary for a closer relationship with the publisher in order to do so,” he said.

As an example, Suda said that if he wanted to make a game focussed on online play, he might have difficulty finding a publisher to fund it, but that on is own, Grasshopper doesn’t have the experience to produce such a title.

“I’ve always wanted to make use of the strengths of online. It’s a layer I’ve wanted to add to our repertoire,” he said, presumably implying that GungHo will nurture such a project thanks to its extensive online experience.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/11/grasshopper-team-to-continue-to-make-games-in-the-manner-they-are-accustomed-to/feed/0Grasshopper Manufacture merging with GungHo Online Entertainmenthttp://www.vg247.com/2013/01/30/grasshopper-manufacture-merging-with-gungho-online-entertainment/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/30/grasshopper-manufacture-merging-with-gungho-online-entertainment/#commentsWed, 30 Jan 2013 09:45:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=334484Killer is Dead and Lollipop Chainsaw developer Grasshopper Manufacture is to merge with Ragnarok publisher GungHo Online Entertainment as of February 1st. The announcement comes from the pages of this week’s Famitsu.

Dtoid reports that the move lends weight to rumours that XSEED will publish Grasshopper’s next title Killer is Dead in Western territories, as the company has localised many of GungHo’s titles over the years. XSEED itself downplayed the rumour in a statement sent to VG247, but this could just be the publisher playing coy for now.

GungHo also owns Game Arts and Acquire, and has created games in the Tenchu and Grandia series.